Rila Monastery Private Tour: Hiking

This tour option combines the Rila monastery visit with the wonders of Bulgarian nature. You will have the chance to feel how rich of natural and cultural sites our country is.

Stob`s pyramids Overview

Nature has created many beautiful places, but in Stob nature has created one of its masterpieces. The picturesque forms have different names – The Towers, The Brothers etc. From the top of the pyramids you are able to see a fantastic view of the whole Rila valley, with the hills, which are leading you to the monastery. The trail to the pyramids is fairly accessible, but you will need comfortable shoes and a bottle of water.

Rila Monastery Overview

The Monastery of Saint Ivan of Rila, better known as the Rila Monastery is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. Founded in the 10th century, the Rila Monastery is regarded as one of Bulgaria's most important cultural, historical and architectural monuments and is a must-visit tourist attraction for both Bulgarians and foreign visitors. It was built at its present place in the 14th century. The oldest buildings in the complex date from this period - the Tower of Hrelyu (1334–1335) and a small church just next to it (1343). However, the arrival of the Ottomans in the end of the 14th century was followed by numerous raids and a destruction of the monastery in the middle of the 15th century.

The monastery complex, regarded as one of the most impressive masterpieces of Bulgarian National Revival architecture, was declared a national historical monument in 1976 and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. On 25 May 2002, Pope John Paul II visited Rila Monastery during his pilgrimage to Bulgaria. He was greeted by the Monastery's igumen (hiero monk), Bishop Ioan, who had been an observer at the Second Vatican Council.

Where you'll be

Prices

The tour price includes: transfer to/from your hotel/accommodation in Sofia, guide in English or other common language, parking fees, entrance fees, Meals and personal expenses are not included. Private guided tour. Children (1-16yrs) 20% discount.

Check all prices and book online here: V Travel Online Booking

Departure point

The departure point for this tour is from your hotel or accommodation within Sofia city limits. You will be notified for the exact pick up time from our agents approximately 2 days before your tour.

Reviews for V Travel-Day Tours from Sofia

  Went in February. I'll go over the positives - in the winter there's not a lot of tourists, and the wait time at the border is not long. ... read more I am indeed a self loathing tourist. Our tour guide, Mikhail, was amazing. Super friendly, good driver, and really knew the history of his country and the surrounding Balkans. I love when tour guides tell you the good and bad moments of their history The only negative is, well, in winter it's pretty cold. Great experience from start to finish.

scooterdu
16.03.2020

  I had a big event to run in Sofia with a pre-event tour for 50 people and a post-event tour for 30 people. V-Travel handled the whole lot. They were... read more incredibly professional and friendly, even though I kept changing the numbers and adding things ;)

Our first tour took 50 people to Boyana Church and the Rila - everyone loved it!

Our second tour took 30 people from our hotel in Sofia into Plovdiv, taking some people back on the same day to Sofia and the rest on to Istanbul the next day.

The staff at V Travel were great. The drivers were lovely - shout out to the drivers who somehow managed to get our coach into a tiny street in Istanbul. It wasn't easy, but they did it with humour and grace , and all the passengers cheered them when we arrived.

Thank you, Victor! And thank you to all your staff.

DestinyJane
15.11.2019

  Really good trip in comfortable mini bus. The tour guide was well informed and had very good English. Rila Monastery is impressive (both inside and out) and it's... read more in a really beautiful mountainside setting. We also thought the frescos in Boyana Church were stunning and very interesting. The value for money was very good. There is a restaurant not far from Rila Monastery where you can have lunch, which has a varied and good value menu. If you want to ask about tours, they have an office, which we found after enquiring at the tourist office, but it's on Rilski Street just off Vitosha Blvd, so very central.

VanessaJanes
31.10.2019